Mar 5 2010
The Chelsea Fast Repetition Rate Fluorimeter is fast becoming the tool of choice for a range of organizations wishing to investigate the physiological responses of a diverse range of phytoplankton within ocean, coastal and fresh waters, reports Richard Burt, CTG’s Marketing Director.
The FASTtracka II in profiling mode being deployed off the RV Polarstern during the LOHAFEX cruise
Pukyong National University (Korea), National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Marine Scotland Fisheries Laboratory, University of Southampton and the University of Essex have all chosen the FASTtracka system in recent weeks. The UK Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has just purchased two systems in anticipation of possible requirements to include primary productivity data within the Marine Framework Strategy Directive.
Since the introduction of the FASTtracka II there has been a significant increase in the range of applications from coastal and ocean algal studies to the protection of reservoirs and potable water supplies. The FASTact adapter has established the FASTtracka II as a high precision laboratory instrument.
The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton FASTtracka II will be deployed on a number of programmes funded by the National Environmental Research Council. In addition to in-situ deployments, such as within the SeaSoar towed undulating vehicle, the FASTtracka II will be used in the laboratory to investigate the physiological response of a diverse range of phytoplankton types to variable environmental growth conditions.
The University of Essex are using the FASTtracka II with FASTact in the laboratory to run Rapid Light Curves on a range of algae cultures. Their work includes comparison of measured gross O2 evolution with gross photosynthesis calculated from fluorescence on individual culture species.